Advice for One Afflicted by Whispers

Question : Yes. Peace be upon you. And upon you be peace. A question over the phone, yes, if you please. I have two questions. The sister asking us on the line says that she has an older sister who is frequently afflicted with whispers. They tell her to increase her seeking of forgiveness, glorification of Allah, and magnification of Allah, but she says, “I am doing that, and I am seeking forgiveness from Allah.” So what do you advise such a woman, Honorable Shaykh?

Answer : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and the Imam of the Pious, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. In recent times, this condition has become common, where Satan opens the door of whispers wide. This is because adherence to the religion has increased, praise be to Allah. Praise be to Allah. So the more adherence increases, the more intense Satan’s attack on the heart becomes. Because Satan tests the heart: if there is in it eagerness for acts of obedience, he throws at it extremism and whispers; and if there is in it negligence, he increases its negligence and causes it to fall into destruction. We say to this woman afflicted with whispers: she must constantly seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. Whenever any of these whispers occur in her heart, let her turn away from them and seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. This is how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described the cure for that ailment. I repeat: she must seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan whenever such whispers occur in her heart. And it will be removed by the might and power of Allah.
And her saying that she increased her remembrance and seeking of forgiveness but it did not benefit her—this is part of the trial by which Allah tests the servant. You find, I mean the servant, calling upon Allah the Exalted. And it may be part of the wisdom of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to delay the response as a test.
So the man hastens and says, “I called, then I called, then I called, but I was not answered,” and he gives up calling and abandons supplication. And this is what Satan wants from the children of Adam. So the supplicant should not be impatient with the response of Allah the Exalted. Allah the Exalted may store up for this supplicant reward and recompense that is greater than what he asked for, and He may avert from him evil that is greater.
So the one who calls upon Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, will never be disappointed. Either his supplication will be answered, or He will avert from him evil whose causes have been established against him, which is greater, or He will store up for Him the reward of it with Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, which he will find most in need of on the Day of Resurrection. I ask Allah the Exalted to cure this woman of her illness and to grant her well-being and not to afflict His servants with it. Indeed, He is capable of all things. Amen. May Allah reward you with good.